Early Flyers 2025-26 lineup projection, version 2.0

The Flyers cleared out their offseason to-do list.

They made a few stopgap free agent signings, made a trade for Trevor Zegras as a potential top-six center, got Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, and Cam York locked in for the future, and then with last week's development camp in Voorhees, they saw signs of a prospect or two knocking on the NHL door.

Training camp won't pick up until September, and the NHL calendar will be heading into its quiet stretch until then.

To pass a bit of the time, keeping in mind that this, as always, is a fun exercise (breathe), here's a shot at projecting what the Flyers' lineup could look like for opening night in October after their latest wave of moves…

Forwards

Reserve/call-up options: Nic Deslauriers, Devin Kaplan, Nikita Grebenkin, Jacob Gaucher, Anthony Richard, Denver Barkey, Tyson Foerster (injured)

• The first edition of this went right for it and put Zegras on the top line with Michkov. This time around reels it back a bit and puts Couturier back at the top as Michkov's center, while Zegras takes up the second line.

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The combo of Michkov, Couturier, and Konecny works fine for the time being. Can the Flyers do better (and faster)? Yes, eventually, but that's a situation where they're waiting on prospects or a potential free agent/trade target to come along and be that clear-cut first-line center.

In the meantime, they do have to find out about Zegras at center, too, and putting him in an immediate scenario where he can thrive offensively would be best for that, thus the top-six placement.

• Foerster's injury complicates things a bit. Bump had a good development camp, is in a good spot to push after an NHL roster spot in training camp, and with Foerster expected to miss time to start the year, his odds got better because the Flyers are going to need youth and talent to fill that gap.

If he makes it, Bump could fill Foerster's standard spot on the two-way line with Cates and Brink, but it'd leave an odd balance of overall skill. So in this scenario, give Bump, Zegras, and Tippett a try as the second line to see where that goes out of the gate offensively, on the presumption that Cates and Brink can maintain themselves with a reserve option like Dorwart in the meantime until Foerster makes it back.

• Jett Luchanko isn't in the projected lineup or the reserve list. He could very well still push to make the team out of training camp, but the signing of Dvorak gives the Flyers just enough NHL-level center depth (not great depth, but enough depth) to ice four full lines and lend to the idea that Luchanko will be in for more development time.

• One more omission: Porter Martone isn't there either. Last month's sixth overall draft pick said during development camp that his goal for the summer is to crack the Flyers' opening roster, which he could do, but in all likelihood, he's looking at at least another year of development, too, though it's not clear yet if that will be in a return to Brampton in Canadian juniors or a rumored jumped over to college hockey in the NCAA.

Defensemen

Reserve/call-up options: Dennis Gilbert, Egor Zamula, Helge Grans, Hunter McDonald, Oliver Bonk, Adam Ginning, Rasmus Ristolainen (injured)

• York signed his five-year contract, and as it stands, the Flyers' immediate expected top four is set between him, Sanheim, Seeler, and Drysdale.

• The third defensive pairing is where there can be variance. Ristolainen will miss the start of the year because of a re-ruptured triceps, and Andrae has enough of a body of work to have a probable leg up on making the opening night roster, but not a guarantee.

• Juulsen, as a big, right-handed shot, is the likely choice to fill in for Ristolainen's absence. As far as who might be behind him in that 7th defenseman role and down through the reserves, Gilbert was brought in as a bit of extra, cheap insurance, Grans has been on the bubble of moving up, and Zamula is at risk of falling out of the picture, while prospects like McDonald and Bonk seem on track to move their way further into it.

Goaltenders

Reserves/call-up options: Ivan Fedotov, Aleksei Kolosov

• The Flyers signed Vladar in free agency, and general manager Danny Brière said he'll have a shot to compete to be the No. 1 goalie, but "compete" is the keyword there. This is an open field, and it still feels very much subject to any sudden change.

For right now at least, Ersson is at 1 out of seniority, with Vladar as his backup, although they very well could end up a 1A, 1B tandem, too.

• Fedotov and Kolosov look set to be further down the goalie depth chart, going into the AHL with the Phantoms, but as last season showed, the situation could shift on a moment's notice.

It's far from ideal to have no clear answer in goal, but the Flyers are rolling the dice this year in the hopes that one of those names steps up until prospects like Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin are ready for the next step.

Power Play

• Some to fun to wrap up for a Flyers power play that just needs something to stick this coming season: First unit, send a wave of youth, have Tippett's shot available for the finish, and have York manning the point again, which he hinted earlier this week is something that he wants to be able to do under Tocchet.

• For unit 2, lean on Couturier and Konecny's experience, and Drysdale's skating and ability to sneak down and get the puck on net when he sees a lane, then give Bump and Dorwart a chance out of the gate to show what they might be able to bring.

Again, the Flyers' power play just needs something, anything, to stick.

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